Anyone with eyes could see that Leclerc was driving with a red mist.
Carrying immense grief and pain, he had channeled all that energy into raw power. Baku became his stage.
From pole position to the Feature Race, Leclerc delivered a dominant performance, giving his rivals no chance from start to finish.
But that wasn't all.
In the Sprint Race, Leclerc showed a level of competitiveness unseen all season.
In F2, the Sprint Race grid is a reverse of the top ten from the Feature Race. This meant Leclerc had to start from P10. Yet, he went on a rampage, unleashing terrifying aggression and control. In just 21 laps, he carved through the field, unbelievably taking the lead!
Dominant. Savage. The crowd was in an uproar.
The entire paddock was buzzing. After Kai's clean sweep in GP3 at Spain, was Leclerc about to pull off the same miracle?
Two drivers from the Ferrari Driver Academy were shining brightly at the start of the season. Was the Ferrari youth movement finally rising?
However, he missed one detail.
On Lap 17 of the Sprint Race, yellow flags were waved. Leclerc, who had just completed his final overtake to take the lead, didn't notice them. He failed to slow down as required by the rules and was hit with a 10-second time penalty.
In the remaining four laps, Leclerc drove like a man possessed, trying to open up a gap to second place.
Unfortunately, the Sprint Race was too short. Four laps weren't enough to make up ten seconds.
In the end, although Leclerc crossed the line first, the penalty dropped him to second. He failed to replicate Kai's feat. But even with the penalty, he still finished 11 seconds ahead of third-place Latifi. In a Sprint Race, that gap was terrifying.
The paddock let out a collective sigh of regret.
They had been so close to witnessing two young drivers create miracles back-to-back. For Leclerc to miss the sweep in such a way was heartbreaking.
Despite this, the paddock was alive with discussion.
On one hand, they praised Leclerc's dominant performance. As Ferrari's "crown prince," he had long been the focus of attention. Winning the GP3 title last season and now leading the F2 championship, he was proving his talent on the track.
On the other hand, people were teasing Ferrari about their "happy problem." From a stagnant academy to two shining stars, Ferrari might face a difficult choice:
Leclerc? Or Kai?
Some said it was too early, that there was no need to push Kai into the spotlight. Leclerc's excellence had been proven over time, while Kai only had one GP3 weekend to his name. There was no comparison.
Kai was still in GP3, a long way from F1. With the lions of F2 ahead and the wolves of GP3 around him, talking about an F1 seat now was ridiculous.
But the topic spread anyway. Spectators love drama, and there were plenty of people willing to fan the flames. Besides, Kai was a variable. He had appeared out of nowhere, breaking all the rules. You couldn't judge him by normal standards.
Leclerc was excellent, yes, but he was still an "academy" product, similar to the other top drivers. His floor was high, and his ceiling was predictable.
Kai was different. Every step he took challenged the paddock's nerves. There was no reference point for him. The closest comparison was Verstappen, but even Verstappen didn't have this many unknowns. Kai had reached this level in less than six months. Give him more time, and no one could predict his ceiling.
That was the most exciting part.
The problem was, Ferrari didn't need two young drivers.
Even if they did, Ferrari's style was conservative. They wouldn't risk an all-rookie lineup. It was too reckless.
Moreover, Ferrari still believed in Vettel.
Sebastian Vettel, 30 years old, was in his prime. A four-time World Champion with Red Bull, his ability was unquestionable. He was Ferrari's ace, the soul of the team, and they believed he could lead them back to glory.
But his partner, "The Iceman" Kimi Räikkönen, was now 37. His career was winding down, his performance declining and inconsistent. Although he had won a title for Ferrari, his retirement countdown had begun.
The question facing Ferrari was simple: Who would replace Kimi, partner with Vettel, and help bring the Constructor's Championship back to Maranello?
"Kai vs. Leclerc." From having no options to having too many, Ferrari was becoming the envy of the paddock.
Naturally, Leclerc had the advantage, especially after his performance in Baku.
But Kai, as the challenger, had burst onto the scene with immense momentum. Though he still needed to prove himself, the buzz around him was growing.
Two people who shouldn't have been rivals were now pitted against each other by public opinion. This only fueled the fire.
Who would have thought that two good friends would turn around and become competitors, fighting tooth and nail for their careers?
So, when F1, F2, and GP3 all arrived at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, Kai felt the pressure. The discussions inside and outside the paddock were pushing him to the forefront.
But Kai's immediate concern wasn't Leclerc. The Ferrari seat was a fantasy, a distant illusion. The real problem was GP3. After the fierce battle of the season opener, no one was underestimating him anymore.
Or rather, everyone was desperate to beat him. They wanted to teach this outsider a lesson, drag him down from the clouds, and show him the reality of GP3. They wanted to stop this rookie from dreaming before he could even walk.
From heaven to hell, it only takes one race.
The louder the talk about the Ferrari F1 seat, the sharper and bloodier the glares from the GP3 drivers became. If Kai wanted to break out and reach F2 or F1, he would have to climb over a mountain of corpses. No one wanted to be his stepping stone.
It wasn't just the other teams. Inside ART, the atmosphere was tense, the air thick with competition.
From the start of qualifying, the intensity was palpable. No one was holding back. Everyone showed their hand, demonstrating the true meaning of "a miss is as good as a mile."
1. George Russell (ART) - 1:19.114
2. Kai Zhizhou (ART) - 1:19.117
3. Jack Aitken (ART) - 1:19.186
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